Nor in the hour of anger and vengeance do thy powers of long-suffering fail to hold fast and firm.”

مردی این مردیست نه ریش و ذکر ** ورنه بودی شاه مردان کیر خر

Virilitas haec virilitas est, barba et penis non est; sin minus, rex virorum esset veretrum asini. [Manhood is this manliness, not (just) a beard and a penis; otherwise, an ass’s penis would be the king of men.]

حق کرا خواندست در قرآن رجال ** کی بود این جسم را آنجا مجال

Whom has God in the Qur’an called men? How should there be room for this body there?

روح حیوان را چه قدرست ای پدر ** آخر از بازار قصابان گذر

What worth has the animal soul? O father, come now, pass through the market of the butchers,

صد هزاران سر نهاده بر شکم ** ارزشان از دنبه و از دم کم

(And you will see) a hundred thousand (sheeps’) heads laid on paunches (tripe), of which (heads) the value is less than (that of) the fat caudal part and tail.

Description of the pusillanimity and weakness of the Súfí who has been brought up in ease and has never struggled with himself or experienced the pain and searing anguish of (Divine) love, and has been deluded by the homage and hand-kissing of the vulgar and their gazing on him with veneration and pointing at him with their fingers and saying, “He is the (most famous) Súfí in the world to-day”; and has been made sick by vain imagination, like the teacher who was told by the children that he was ill. In the conceit of being a (spiritual) warrior and regarded as a hero in this (spiritual) Way, he goes on campaign with the soldiers engaged in the war against the infidels. “I will show my valour outwardly too,” says he; “I am unparalleled in the Greater Warfare: what difficulty, forsooth, should the Lesser Warfare present to me?” He has beheld the phantasm of a lion and performed (imaginary) feats of bravery and become intoxicated with this bravery and has set out for the jungle to seek the lion. (But) the lion says with mute eloquence, “Nay, ye will see! and again, nay, ye will see!”

رفت یک صوفی به لشکر در غزا ** ناگهان آمد قطاریق و وغا

A Súfí went with the army to fight the infidels: suddenly came the clangours and din of war.

ماند صوفی با بنه و خیمه و ضعاف ** فارسان راندند تا صف مصاف

The Súfí stayed behind with the baggage-train and tents and invalids, (while) the horsemen rode into the line of battle.

مثقلان خاک بر جا ماندند ** سابقون السابقون در راندند

The earth-bound heavies remained in their place; the foremost in the march, the foremost in the march, rode on.

جنگها کرده مظفر آمدند ** باز گشته با غنایم سودمند 3740

After the combat, they came (back) victorious: they returned in possession of profit and (laden) with spoils.

ارمغان دادند کای صوفی تو نیز ** او برون انداخت نستد هیچ چیز

They gave (him) a present (from the battle-field), saying, “Thou too, O Súfí!” (but) he cast it out (of the tent) and would not take anything.

پس بگفتندش که خشمینی چرا ** گفت من محروم ماندم از غزا

Then they said to him, “Why art thou angry?” He answered, “I have been deprived of (my share in) the fighting.”

زان تلطف هیچ صوفی خوش نشد ** که میان غزو خنجر کش نشد

The Súfí was not at all pleased with that act of kindness, because he had not drawn the sword in the holy war.

پس بگفتندش که آوردیم اسیر ** آن یکی را بهر کشتن تو بگیر

So they said to him, “We have brought prisoners in: do thou take that one to kill.

سر ببرش تا تو هم غازی شوی ** اندکی خوش گشت صوفی دل‌قوی 3745

Cut off his head, in order that thou too mayst be a holy warrior.” (Thereupon) the Súfí was somewhat pleased and encouraged;

که آب را گر در وضو صد روشنیست ** چونک آن نبود تیمم کردنیست

For, though in the ritual ablution water has a hundred excellences, (yet) when it is not (obtainable) one must make use of sand.

برد صوفی آن اسیر بسته را ** در پس خرگه که آرد او غزا

The Súfí led the pinioned prisoner behind the tent in order to wage the holy war.

دیر ماند آن صوفی آنجا با اسیر ** قوم گفتا دیر ماند آنجا فقیر

The Súfí tarried with the prisoner a long while; the party (of soldiers) said, “The dervish has made a long stay there.

کافر بسته دو دست او کشتنیست ** بسملش را موجب تاخیر چیست

An infidel with both hands tied! (Surely) he is ready for killing: what is the cause of this delay in slaughtering him?”

آمد آن یک در تفحص در پیش ** دید کافر را به بالای ویش 3750

One of them went after him to investigate: he found the infidel on the top of him (the Súfí),

هم‌چو نر بالای ماده وآن اسیر ** هم‌چو شیری خفته بالای فقیر

Tanquam mas super femina, and the infidel couching upon the dervish like a lion. [Like a male upon a female, and the infidel [sic: prisoner] couching upon the dervish like a lion.]

دستها بسته همی‌خایید او ** از سر استیز صوفی را گلو

With his hands tied, he was gnawing the Súfí's throat in obstinate strife.

گبر می‌خایید با دندان گلوش ** صوفی افتاده به زیر و رفته هوش

The infidel was gnawing his throat with his teeth: the Súfí lay beneath, senseless.

دست‌بسته گبر و هم‌چون گربه‌ای ** خسته کرده حلق او بی‌حربه‌ای

The pinioned infidel, (fierce) as a cat, had wounded his throat without (using) a lance.

نیم کشتش کرده با دندان اسیر ** ریش او پر خون ز حلق آن فقیر 3755

The prisoner had half-killed him with his teeth: his beard was soaked in blood from the throat of the dervish.

هم‌چو تو کز دست نفس بسته دست ** هم‌چو آن صوفی شدی بی‌خویش و پست

(This is) like you, who under the violence of your pinioned fleshly soul have become as senseless and abject as that Súfí.

ای شده عاجز ز تلی کیش تو ** صد هزاران کوهها در پیش تو

O you whose religion is incapable of (climbing) a single hillock, there are a hundred thousand mountains in front of you.

زین قدر خرپشته مردی از شکوه ** چون روی بر عقبه‌های هم‌چو کوه

You are dead with fear of a ridge of this (small) size: how will you climb up precipices (big) as a mountain?

غازیان کشتند کافر را بتیغ ** هم در آن ساعت ز حمیت بی‌دریغ

The warriors, (moved) by (religious) zeal, at that very instant ruthlessly put the infidel to the sword.